MAMA Focusses on Sustainability and Purpose in 2017-18

MAMA’s 2016-17 Annual Report was presented to Council on Monday 20 November, with unanimous support from Council.

MAMA’s new leadership team have worked hard to reduce expenditure and stabilise operations since taking the reins mid-way through the financial year.

After the first year of operations (2015 -16), MAMA ran 28% over budget, however, this was brought down to 6% over in the last financial year, covered in the recent Annual Report.

With the new financial year already well underway, MAMA Director Bree Pickering is pleased with the organisations performance.

"As of end of October we are in a very healthy financial position. Our shopMAMA retail outlet has grown substantially this financial year. Art courses and workshops continue to perform well. Corporate hire and touring exhibitions also contribute to our income. In terms of expenditure, we are well under budget for the financial year, and have deliberately slowed down the pace of exhibition turnover. Instead, we are focussing on deliberate development of exhibitions that demonstrates leadership in regional arts in a more sustainable format."

"We are conscious that the community has invested $1.3M this year in MAMA, and we are very deliberately investing that budget in areas that create value for our community. MAMA is an important tourist drawcard, it is a resource for schools, it is a platform and resource for professional artists, it offers quality art courses that stimulate the creative lives of our community members, it manages AlburyCity’s valuable art collection, it is an inclusive community space where countercultural voices can be heard, it adds depth to the cultural precinct in QEII Square and positions Albury-Wodonga as an attractive place for young families, professionals, and retirees to relocate to." concluded Pickering.